Karnataka’s IT minister Shri Katta Subramanya Naidu has described India as one of the most favoured destinations for semiconductor and embedded design, and said the proactive government will take steps to accelerate the growth further.

Addressing an ISA (Indian Semiconductor Association) meeting, Naidu said that the Indian semiconductor design industry, worth $6 billion across VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integration) and board design and embedded software, has the potential to reach around $9 billion by 2009. Nearly 90 per cent of VLSI design work is from Bangalore alone. Bangalore is second only to California's Silicon Valley.

Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa is extremely committed to the cause of making Karnataka the most preferred destination for the semiconductor industry, said Naidu.

Addressing those who are willing to invest in Karnataka he said: “My government would be glad to support your business plans. You need not fear that your proposal will take months - years if it reaches the government office. I promise decisions will be taken not in months but in weeks. One on one talk, come with the proposal and we will facilitate it.”

The government wants the semiconductor industry to grow and flourish in the state, and has plans to announce a semiconductor policy in the near future. It recently allocated land for the hardware technology park near the airport. The development of these sectors will not be limited to tier one cities, but will progress in tier two and tier three cities as well. A plan for constructing an airport in Mysore is in the pipeline.

The government has proposed to identify and set apart exclusive IT and BT zones, in Mysore, Managalore, Hubli, Dharwad, Belguam, Shimoga and Gulbara. X